Of an insomniac night and a chatty demon
by Hana-Liatris
Summary: He couldn't remember when the last time he'd had a good night's sleep was. It seriously felt like forever. Dipper wondered if it was compulsory for bargains to be made at night.
1. Chapter 1

_Of an insomniac night and a chatty demon._

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He couldn't remember when the last time he'd had a good night's sleep was.

It seriously felt like forever.

Boringly staring at the ceiling softly illuminated by some street lamp, Dipper sighed while closing his eyes for some more minutes until finally giving up and rolling outside the bed. Glancing at the alarm clock he frowned angrily seeing it was already three in the morning.

In his small apartment all he could do (if it wasn't studying of using his laptop) was to pace from the kitchen to his room and backwards. His eyes were used to the dim light which managed to penetrate though the window's blind.

The previous night had been the same.

And so the one before.

And he was betting the following one would be too.

Outside his small home, the city was unusually quiet, strangely silent. It was an unnerving calm before an unknown storm.  
He'd never thought he would be missing his sister's voice so much.  
Never mind he'd spoken to her a few hours before: that night stillness felt unnatural.

And still, he felt he knew that annoying sensation… for it was as if time had just stopped.

With a sudden start, Dipper turned and blatantly stared at the alarm clock.

Three in the morning.  
 _Not even a second more_.

And everything clicked into place inside his mind.

' _Bill?_ '

The name easily escaped his lips without permission in a low whisper, and nothing happened.  
Or at least, until an almost forgotten and amused voice suddenly sounded inside and outside his head.

'Took you long enough.'

And Dipper simply knew who was to blame for the next day's headache.

.

 _Ta-dah! Just appeared into my mind._  
 _Go read my other stories and review 'cause I'm blocked._

 _(My cry for help ;) )_


	2. Chapter 2

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'Go away, whatever it is I'm not interested' he snapped.

'You wound me… I'm here for some friendly chit-chat only, you know, the normal "how's life going and mortal stuff like that" talk'.

Dipper snorted and moved his hands exasperated.

'At bloody three in the morning' he exclaimed 'you could let me sleep in peace a few more hours and _maybe_ I would even _consider_ not shouting at you.'

'Ah, but then we would be doing a bargain and I'm pretty sure you don't want that, mmh?'

The demon was toying with his patience and even grumpy and under-slept the boy knew a bargain was _never_ a solution.  
After some (imaginary) minutes passed by in which Dipper simply stared daggers into the demon's form, which was contented enough floating lazily around his room, waiting, the only human made up his mind. He sighed.  
Turning around, ignoring the root of his actual state and possible future problems, the boy entered the kitchen.

Bill blinked at the other's reaction and, if a mouth were present, he would've grinned in satisfaction and a little bit of mischief.

'I'll think about hearing you out if you at least have the decency of making the water boil.'  
The quiet demand sounded in a tired and almost defeated way into the room.

The demon hummed happily.

 _Things were going to be interesting once again._

.

 _... suddenly a second chapter appeared and a plot created itself.  
Reviews are muuuuch apreciated :)_


	3. Chapter 3

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It was (imaginary) half past three in the morning when the night found a human and a demon calmly sat down, facing each other, with two cups of tea waiting to be drank on the small kitchen table.

'You know that even though I do decide to help you it would be impossible for me to do it.'

Dipper's voice echoed in the odd quiet silence which momentary extended the world.

'I would only be needing your help as a human, nothing more, nothing less.'

Bill picked his cup up and fixed his only eye at it, with a deep level of concentration a thin line appeared where his mouth should be. Slowly and civilized he drank the hot beverage.  
The boy watched him with thoughtful eyes.

'And what's in for me?' he finally decided to ask.

'Whatever you want.' The demon continued 'I'll return tomorrow's night for your answer.'

Dipper sipped some of his tea, inspecting the being before him. For the first time in a long time, Bill couldn't guess what the human's thoughts were.

'See you later then.'

The boy suddenly said, satisfied enough with what he found in the other _(presence? aura? face?)_.  
And the demon nodded in a subtle way before disappearing out of thin nothing.

Going back to his bed after cleaning and leaving both cups to dry, he stole a glance at the alarm clock.

Time was ticking once more.

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 _It's me again._  
 _Thanks Chykori for being the first review :)_


	4. Chapter 4

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It was early when the alarm finally sounded inside the apartment and the whole thing reminded him of that first summer, years ago, back in his grand uncles' place in Oregon.  
The whole sleepless night, the demon's visit, his overworking brain burning a headache through his skull…it was almost the same situation all over again.

 _Almost_.

Because, this time, something completely different was at play.

Dipper sat on the bed and turned the alarm off. He wasn't anxious, nor he was angry, he was just… slightly put off. The boy felt out of his depth yet strangely orientated. His confused state could be blamed on his lack of sleep.

During the last few hours (which should've been used to rest) he developed an odd sense of security regarding himself and his possible options.  
Luckily, he had the whole day to decide which his answer should be.

 _Should he shake hands with a demon once again?_

Being older and experienced didn't make the process of choosing an easier one. Quite on the contrary, it showed him everything was in some way twisted, grey, and most of the times, out of his mortal hands.  
And what Bill was asking him to do was absolutely crazy: going against every stipulated rule nature had forged to make an order out of chaos.

 _Did he want to play God?_

Dipper didn't know why, but he just _knew_ the demon was being sincere about his reasons.

With a sigh he stood up.

Opening the window's blind, letting the sun's warmth bathe the room, the boy stared at the gentle sunrise.

He had the whole day to think about it.

.

.

 _I'm oddly inspirated these days._  
 _For those who are wondering: it isn't a romantic story_  
 _(I'll shameless admit I'd rather ship Dipper with Pacifica)_

 _Reviews muuuuch appreciated :)_


	5. Chapter 5

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The day went by in a blur for Dipper.

He went to classes, made some uninteresting grocery shopping and worked some more on that blog entry he'd wanted to post next Friday. All while still thinking and turning the turmoil of thoughts inside his head.  
At some point he'd video-chatted with Mabel.

.

 _'_ _Brother o'mine! Tell me what's your mind worried about today?' her voice echoed in the bedroom._

 _He was sitting on the bed, laptop on his crossed legs. In the video image Mabel was in her own place too.  
Dipper tiredly smiled._

 _'_ _I'll never know how you always manage to see through everything' he answered back, not bothered at all for her reaction._

 _'_ _Dipper if the bags under your eyes were bigger they would fall from your face' she scolded him, in a playful yet (he knew) serious way._

 _'_ _Nothing you should worry yourself about' he replied yawing 'Just... a lot of thinking before taking an important decision'_

 _His sister stared at him, trying to connect what he'd just said to his actual state and whatever he could have told her in previous conversation._

 _'_ _How long since you've last had some real sleep Dipper.' She demanded, worried yet not angry._

 _He knew she wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do about his actual predicament._

 _'_ _Some days' he vague and somewhat nervously replied 'But after tonight I guess I'll sleep better.'_

 _'_ _I'm smelling something fishy which you aren't telling me about'.  
She pouted, already knowing that if he didn't want to tell…they both were unnecessary stubborn sometimes._

 _Dipper smiled once again, that kind of defeated yet happy smile he reserved only for her when she was one clue away from solving the mystery his brother sometimes was._

 _'_ _I promise tomorrow I'll tell you'  
Rising one hand to his heart and the other up, like they used to do while swearing on something, he added:  
'But whatever it is, you'll have to trust me.'_

 _At this words Mabel turned very suspicious… doubts lasting until, after some seconds, it all clicked inside her brain.  
The whole situation was something which could've happened while being in Gravity Falls.  
And just like that, she just knew Dipper wasn't talking about colleague, or work, or nothing humanly normal._

 _With realization in her eyes, she solemnly nodded._

 _'_ _You know I always do.'_

 _And the boy, relieved, smiled for a last time that night._

.

With the memory fresh in his mind, he lazily made some coffee.  
He only had a few precious hours to finish that blog entry before his life turned weirder than it already was.

No time to loose.

.

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 _Wanted to upload it earlier but fanfiction was stuck.  
I'm submiting chapters on the go, immidiately after I finnish them so it keeps me motivated._

 _Reviews are muuuuuuuch appreciated :)_


	6. Chapter 6

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Demon or not, Bill was nervous.

He had to stop himself from appearing before time was up. The last thing he needed was to be seen as desperate as he actually felt.  
Knowing he wouldn't be able to bear being pitied on eyes of any human (even less if he already had some history with said human), he was avoiding uncomfortable situations at the best of his abilities.

Years had passed since that last time he had felt invincible.  
At the present he just knew he was doomed.

Although nothing really mattered anymore, the lost battle had cost him more than any of those humans could've possibly imagined, asking for help from the winning side was a painful blow to his bleeding pride.

And still, demon or not, winner or looser, his dignity was intact: no regrets on past decisions.

When the hour he'd been waiting for arrived, time was stopped once more.  
 _If all turned out like expected, he would surely miss his powers greatly._

The demon's only eye didn't even twitch when a twirling chaos of time and space occurred around him, engulfing his existence into the human realm, the boy's mindscape.

It was three in the morning when the alarm clock stopped once again.

Dipper was waiting for him, two cups of recently made tea on the kitchen table.

Bill sat down, already knowing the other's choice by looking at the human's determined and somewhat calm face.

'It's settled then'

The boy nodded.

'Let's get you a new body.'

.

.

 _Short and from Bill's point of view. Hey you! Yeah, you! The demon's being serious... (and in some deep shit also)._  
 _Next chapter will (hopefully) explain stuff._  
 _(I'm hating the coming autumn over here, damn cold weather)_

 _Reviews muuuuuuuch appreciated :)  
_  
 _(Thanks Chykori for the good vibres.. and the 'whatever' reviewer also)_


	7. Chapter 7

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It wasn't surprising at all but the day after the deal was made nothing happened.  
And neither the following nor the next one.  
The creeping stillness at night was starting to make Dipper uncomfortable.

As time passed by, an odd feeling slowly grew inside and outside his self. Like a sticky scent in the air which only he could breath (and feel caged, trapped).

At classes he found his attention lacking, he couldn't find the strength or the care to force some grade of concentration into his life.  
Dipper wasn't having second thoughts yet he couldn't keep the weariness away.

(Mabel was worried, she had said so on their last conversation, but he got the feeling the best was to tell her everything once it was all over)

And he didn't know if his jumpy nerves had something to do, but everyday he felt watched.  
Calm eyes among the shadows, the clocks, the corners, he sensed them everywhere.

The whole situation was getting to him in a strange way, not because he knew what he would have to do or with whom, but because of the intense damnable feeling everything was oozing towards him.

It was as if destiny never knew him and so was inspecting the whole situation thoughtfully.  
Like fate's lab-rat of some weird experiment.

For the first time since the mess started, Dipper felt the real seriousness of what he'd signed for crashing down with force.

And that parenthesis of inertia in his life was loathsome; for there wasn't much he could do until the demon contacted him once again.  
 _In the deal he had bargained for peace in exchange of his human help._

Bill had simply given him (wrote down in the human's memory) a list of things he wanted the boy to get in his dimension.  
That same night, after Dipper had given some thought at the materials he was supposed to obtain; he just knew they were going to do the impossible.

Cooking ingredients and bare chemical substances could only mean they were going to perform a ritual.

Alchemy was the last thing he'd thought to be doing in that lifetime.

.

 _Hello folks! Today I decided to crush my writer's block (I'm not very happy with this chapter but oh well!)  
_ _I promise things will get better... with time :))_

 _And yep, alchemy._  
 _I wonder why no one thought about it before.. it's kind of the easiest way of getting Bill a body with Dipper's help if you think about it.. no need of killing somebody or using a dead body or performing a gory blood ritual or anything that gross and complicated ;)_

 _Reviews make me happy! Wanna thank Chykori and Luna FireFox for their kind words :)_


	8. Chapter 8

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It was a calm, cold night. As Dipper walked through the corridor towards his apartment he smelled the neighbor's cooking and heard some laughter. He smiled inwardly, founding some comfort in stranger's happiness.

Filling his lungs with homemade-pasta scent, he opened his flat's door and stepped inside, throwing his heavy backpack on the process. The boy-almost-man stretched his back, turned the heat as well as the few lights he possessed on, and fished for his laptop to rise his mood up with some music.

That was going to be _the_ night. The night in which he was going to make the most foolish of mistakes, or the greatest deed.

Some Latin American band was played on Spotify and he got to work, preparing the physical place for the ritual and arranging all items ("alchemy ingredients", he called them secretly) in a specific position on the floor. He had bought everything that day, in different stores so nobody started asking questions, the weight in his backpack had consisted mostly of that stuff.

At least it had all been pretty cheap.

After half an hour he was finished, following each and every instruction the unwanted demon had imprinted on his mind. Double checking everything one last time, he felt satisfied and, with a soft yet warm melody of exotic, latin rhythm, he went into the small kitchen. He cooked some rice, only because he had Mabel's voice in his head screaming "Take care of yourself! Eat something, nourish with something else than coffee you dimwit!"

With his dinner on one hand and the laptop on the other he accommodated comfortable on the bed, fixated on finishing that pending blog entry before everything on his life would go to hell. Munching, he opened the file and kept himself concentrated until the last stop was written and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face, before uploading it to the internet.

Looking at the hour, he realized he had a few hours more until Bill showed up.

.

He hated the growing anxious in the pit of his stomach more than the demon itself.

.

 _Don't hate; love the update.  
I found some inspiration and direction for this story, the other day... winter holiday for me, this explains the free time :)_

 _I appreciate the reviews!_


	9. Chapter 9

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When he felt a shift in his flat's atmosphere, he knew it was time. Ever since the demon first appeared, he found himself looking away from his showing-up spot, something forced him to keep his eyes out of that interdimensional time-warping portal. Like there was an unnamed rule which stated no mortal could see what was beyond that gateway.

And the last thing the boy needed was to make powerful, supernatural entities mad. Observant beings who had been measured his life (without knowing the meaning of subtlety, it'd seemed).

"I won't burn your eyes out if you look at me boy, I'm cursed but not that much" Bill's sarcasm-filled voice sounded inside and outside his head.

Dipper turned around, lifting an eyebrow, not wanting to discuss the uncomfortable feeling he was getting from everything around him and the situation (specially the situation).

"Good to know" he decided to answer back, "so, uhm, are we going to do this now?" a little of uncertainty reaching his words.

"Yep, and we better do it right away, nice and soundy 'cause we don't have much time to spare" the demon replied, while moving his arms in strange yet repetitive measure, "I'll set some wards up so nobody or nothing may bother"

The human kept his eyes fixed on the magical being noticing for the first time that, even though the other seemed calm enough, he was just as nervous (if not more) than him and that, stupidly so, put him at ease. Great to know they were going to be both screwed up if everything went wrong.

"Ready", Bill breathed out, the boy noticed the tiredness on the other's voice, "Com'here" he added, positioning him on one of the points of the main star which had been written on the floor with chalk, while the preparations had been made. Drawn was a big star; placed inside, the alchemy ingredients, each surrounded by its respective magical symbol; everything rounded up by two big circles.

Dipper stood there.

All felt surreal, like if he was dreaming a lucid dream, the ironically funny part being that he'd been the one agreeing into being part of it. He attentively watched the demon making itself comfortable in middle of symbols which screamed of heresy and forbidden magic.

Bill closed his eyes.

"Start now, human."

Dipper made one last silent prayer, before starting to chant words the demon had transferred into his mind.

.

It was wrong yet, surprisingly, he knew it was the right thing to do.

.

 _Stuff finally happened and, if you must know, yep, I'm having fun writing this._

 _Thanks for the favs/follows and regularshow565 for being such a dearie :)_


	10. Chapter 10

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When Bill woke up the following morning, he didn't know who he was, what happened, why his surroundings felt familiar or why he could even feel in the first place. The mattress in which he was wrapped kept his body warmth, and he simply knew he'd never felt that good and cozy before.

He had a body, his _own_ body.

With a start he sat up and the previous night came crushing into his hurting mind with full force. He stared at his hands; moved his toes and legs; touched his hair and traced around his face with shaky fingers. Two eyes, he had two symmetrical eyes.

He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe the ritual had really worked because, in all honesty, it was bigger the chance of both, him and the boy, dying in the process than that of a success. He was halfway covered with some kind of pants inside a sleeping bag, showing that he'd somehow caused enough pity so as to thaw some of Pine Tree's heart of cold (he loathed the thought of looking weak, but if it was advantageous enough, he could bear it)

His rambling thoughts all ended up heading towards one direction: _he was human_.

And Bill cracked a victorious smile: he was finally human. The caged demon managed to fool nature's laws and he felt free once again, even inside that scrawny, fragile body, inside a cheap flat's room and in that pathetic realm. He was alive, he was breathing, and he had choices and a freaking conscious.

The once-demon decided he wasn't going to think about the new problems and, dare he said it, life he was facing. The most important fact to be remembered was the successful runaway from the magical, alternative realm: no more demon control-police breathing down his triangular neck; no more bureaucratic interdimensional nonsense; no more "wanted" posters with his image looking back at him pasted around the universe.

Bill Cypher had been a demon. Bill Cypher had done very bad things and, do not laugh, some good ones. Bill Cypher had done everything out of his own nature and his core essence, not his fault he was born a tricky, messed up entity. And Bill Cypher had been tired of being pointed out and judged because of responding to what he was. If Mother Nature, God, Satan or whoever had created him expected something else, they should have made him somebody or something different.

Ever since the Weirdmaggedon fiasco he realized it was time for a drastic change, his demon so-called friends had abandoned him and he hadn't felt the same thrill he once did doing his job. His already miserable existence started to feel hollow and pathetically useless. That swirl of emotions, frustration and endless thinking, had him realizing there was something incredibly wrong within and about him.

It was unbelievable how in only a few years, little time for a magical entity, everything could drastically change for a soul and, being the fighter he'd always been, it simply meant the beginning of a new chapter. Bill Cypher was no common demon and he knew it. He could proudly state he'd worked alone most of his existence; made at least one deal with every powerful entity in the universe; and worked under his own rules more times than not. He was the demon who best made his job and yet, at the same time, he'd always felt something, a strange connection, to the human realm.

After the Weirdmaggedon event occurred, the need of staying more time in the mortal world became greater and he knew his golden days were over. That was when he decided it was time to put an end to his null existence because, the worst part of it all, was the boringness: the missing feeling of excitement, and the thrill of life he no longer possessed.

Bill thought the funniest part had been that of appealing to a wandering boy who'd been a rival in his days of glory. The irony of it all had been hilarious, and that great sense of 'whatever' had been the one pushing him to go, talk to the human and get some stuff done.

Because, in all honesty, he'd preferred dying in the process of achieving a better, exhilarating life, than continue in a fading one.

Bill Cypher had once been one of the greatest demons, but at that moment, Bill Cypher was a humble human being.

.

 _And, for the first time in his whole existence, he felt happy_.

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Bill's story ladies and gentleman, let me know what you think :)

Somebody asked the other day when this's staged, for those who are wondering it's set some years after the grand finale, when the twins are twenty-something studying and having a life. Sorry if it sounds weird that Dipper is living in a flat while studying at the same time, I'm from Argentina and over here it's a common thing (we don't have campus or that stuff) so... yeah. If you have questions feel free to ask, swear I don't bite.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for the faves/follows and regularshow565 (you are great!) and The Mirror Above the Sink for their kind words! :)


	11. Chapter 11

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After the life-shaking realization took place, Bill felt asleep again. Both, him and Dipper, slept for two more days.

At the third night, they were woken up by the constant sound of someone almost throwing the door down. Bill's eyes opened lazily before closing them again while turning to the other side of the bed, on the other side of the room, the flat's owner sat up completely awoken. Dipper groggily went to the door and opened it with a yawn, sensing who the noisy person was. He felt the beginning of a headache.

"Mason Pines what the hell happened with you!"

A feminine voice screamed into his ear while a mess of soft hair momentary blocked his vision, a pair of strong arms wrapped him into a bear hug.

"I was so worried! You stupid! Last time we talked you left me completely in the dark, confused, and then you disappear! Not a single call you dimwit! What were you thinking!?"

"Mabel" he tried to sooth her, talking in a low and soft voice. He felt his sister shake a little when hugging her back but, after some time, he awkwardly separated her body from his and looked at her in the eye.

"You are right, it's time for questions and answers"

Turning around, Dipper crossed the room and opened the window, letting the dim echo of the sunset throw some light into the apartment. Mabel entered and closed the door behind her, intrigued. Looking around, she saw the mess of candles and symbols and a strange feeling of unease overcame her. With a start, the girl almost-woman distinguished a blonde head rising to a sitting position on a vaguely made bed on the floor.

"What the hell is all that light for?" said a raspy voice she recognized too well.

.

And Mabel felt that his brother had some _real_ explaining to do.

.

 _Tadaaa somebody came back from the dead! I'm thinking about changing the name of the story, what do you think? I haven't come up with a better one but maybe I will ;)_

 _I wanted to thank The Mirror Above the Sink and regularshow565 for their support! Not a BillDipper story btw, not into that part of the fandom._

 _Reviews are much appreciated!_


	12. Chapter 12

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Sitting on the precarious bed on the floor, Bill had his first flavor-tasting experience. Savoring a not too hot or cold coffee, he decided, after some instant meditation, humans could make some pretty good stuff. Across him, accommodated on the real bed, sat the Pine twins, each holding a cup filled with said infusion.

"I can't say much about the other side, I guess you both know that" the ex-demon started, tired of watching them watching him.

"Then tell us whatever you can tell" Dipper replied.

Mabel stayed silent and alert, realizing the other two were calm. Strangely enough, it seemed to her they understood each other in a civil way, and she wondered how much of everything she'd missed.

Bill sighed in a normal, tired, human manner, and decided it was time for some story-telling of his (could he said it?) life.

"You both remember how our last encounter, years ago ended, I imagine"

The siblings nodded.

"Well, the interesting part isn't how you managed to stop a magical being, but what the existence of another dimensions, another _side_ represents. The other side, that ruled by demons, magical and out of your human minds entities, where time is just a mere plaything and no desire is forbidden or crossed out as madness, follows unspoken rules. Rules stated not by someone, but by, if you wish to put a name on it, the cosmos, the everything that is nothing."

He made a pause and drank some of his coffee, letting the introduction sink into the twin's mortal minds.

"Those rules aren't written down on stone and can be twisted and shifted, yet one feels them in their own core. They are the feeling one gets when knowing that whatever you are doing is wrong or right."

At that point, Dipper interrupted,

"Wait. That means you had that feeling of wrongness all the time? How does it work with beings like you?"

Bill smiled, not bothered by the abruptness of the other

"No dear boy" he answered with a subtle undertone of patronizing "it isn't some kind of god of kindness I'm talking about. Think of it like the balance of the universe, what goes between your concepts of "good" and "bad". I was and will always be a demon, I was created that way, lived by the nature of my existence and played my role in the balance of the all as best as I could"

He stopped and then added with a grin,

"obviously having some fun while I was at it."

Sensing it was her turn to speak, Mabel said thoughtfully

"But if you acted 'accordingly' to how you should, then why get away from all of that?"

The ageless entity relaxed and finished his drink, boring his shinning, knowing eyes into the pair of young, earning ones of the almost-not children,

"In the last decades the other side started to get infected with lesser demons holding no respect for nature rules. I've been around even before human beings started having some kind of organization; I've seen the rise and fall of all civilizations, from this galaxy and from thousand others. I can predict the endings of all beginnings. Yet this, this pitiful beings going around with no respect or whatsoever; mocking and destroying everything out of pure spite, bothering me with their pathetic attitude"

After a short pause, after such serious speech, he added,

"I've endured persecution, enemies, and paranoiac times throughout my whole life, but one tends to get bored. Add being defeated by some stupid humans and a group of crazy interdimensional wannabe authorities breathing down my neck. Kids, you get my point."

With some of the craziness both siblings were used to, they heard him finish,

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"This is my vacation from all of that."

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 _Okay, now things are going to become interesting... once I get to solve out the rest of the plot hehe_

 _I realize I'm writing a way more serious Bill than most people are used to, but hey, I believe the demon has hundreds of years of experience with humans, and the defeat by the Pines was just another story on his history book (nothing more than a little blow to his pride). I like to think he can be a pretty deep character and well... I'm trying my best! I don't like to write dialogues but I had this explanation to make (although Bill's keeping some stuff for himself)._

 _I think this story is turning out more angsty than what I'd planned. Oh well._

 _Thanks for the follows. A review would be nice too :)_

 _Keep tuned for more indimensional nonsense!_


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